The best way is to start with just a soak in warm, soapy water & if needed a bit of a scrub with an old toothbrush. Don't borrow the missus's Next level up I would get an ultrasonic cleaner if you want a bit more bling or to get the dirt out even the toothbrush will miss.You don't really need to use solutions as such on most or not that I have found anyway. Keep it simple first off. I always just soak them first & if ok leave it at that. A lot don't even make it into the ultrasonic cleaner let alone into any type of solution.

If you've got some with more stubborn inclusions like some quartz/ironstone then alibrite or brickies acid, as above, can do the trick. Read the label & play safe with acid

Not nuggets but any specimens that have most or all of the gold inside, I pop into Alibrite for a few months. I use a beetroot tuperware container with the sieve/basket inside its easy to lift up and see how the digestion process is going. In a well ventilated area, always use chemical rubber gloves and clear safety glasses at all times, wash your hands and arms after. **** Do not use a glass containers to hold Alibrite as glass is made from silica and will eventually be eaten through by the acid. Its an Aluminum mag wheel cleaner from Supercheap Auto. Once the gold has been released from inside the rock I transfer to another container (Non silica) and heap bicarb soda with water onto whatever remains for two days. then you simply flood with water for 10 minutes. Then after months of waiting you can see what your gold looks like from inside the specimen.Any specimens that I find that have the gold already showing I keep instead of popping into an acid bath. These look good and shouldn't be destroyed.Please be safe when playing with any acids if in doubt , scrub or wash your self. Alibrite contains Hydroflouric acid this dissolves calcium and silica to get the gold out of the specimen. When applied to the human body it dissolves the calcium in your bones making them brittle and easily broken. A course of calcium injections for the rest of your life doesn't sound good. So play safe with all acids.

... Alibrite contains Hydroflouric acid this dissolves calcium and silica to get the gold out of the specimen. When applied to the human body it dissolves the calcium in your bones making them brittle and easily broken. A course of calcium injections for the rest of your life doesn't sound good. So play safe with all acids.

Just to add to this, while Alibrite is not as bad as concentrated hydrofluoric, it still contains some. Hydrofluoric acid will take up the calcium in your blood and throw your blood chemistry out of balance, it can kill you much more quickly than by making your bones brittle. Still, I reckon Alibrite is safe if used carefully.

Hahahhaah This brings back some unpleasant memories.Not cleaning gold but old bottles.Dishwashers hadn't been on the market long and thought what a great way this would be to clean up a swag of early bottles.They came out very clean but all the red dirt didn't clear the washer, heavy and settled in the pump & filter.Complete strip down of washer to clean it out.Took years to earn back a few brownie points.

But seriously, everyone mentions Alibrite ..... local auto place doesn't stock it but showed me 2 others, one smallish bottle of green stuff is what he recons the trucks love using ..... can't recall the names, of the product.

Anyone used a brand name product besides Alibrite.

Cheers T.

If you don't stand for something ..... You'll fall for anything !!To be old and wise you must first be young and foolish.

I bought my alibrite from AGRADE CLEANING SUPPLIES. 93634200 delivered. A whole 5 litres of the stuff.... enough to last 5 lifetimes with all the gold I've found so far... hahahahYeah you gotta find it first is right!!!